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\f0\b\fs24 \cf0 July Added to String of Record Hot Months Globally\
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\b0 \cf0 by Peter Hannam\
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\cf0 Aug. 15, 2015 - July was the hottest on record globally, as a large El Ni\'f1o event gathered strength in the Pacific, making it more likely that 2015 will exceed last year as the warmest year on record.\
Average land and sea-surface temperatures worldwide were 0.38\'b0C above the 1981-2010 average, easily exceeding the previous record July anomaly of 0.30\'b0 set in 1998, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.\
The record for July is likely to be matched\'a0by other agencies in coming days, such as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, when they release their monthly reports. Preliminary data\'a0from US space agency NASA supports Japan's findings that July was the hottest for that month.\
If so, it will mean that 5 of the first 7 months of 2015 \'a0have been the hottest for their respective months. That makes it increasingly likely that this year\'a0will eclipse 2014 as the warmest in about 135 years of records.\
For Australia, July and winter as a whole have\'a0been slightly warmer than average. While areas in the south-east have had their coolest stint for 2 decades or longer, the nation's north - especially around the Kimberley region - have had exceptionally warm conditions.\
Driving this year's warmth has been the brewing El Ni\'f1o in the Pacific, which has added to the background warming caused by climate change, climatologists say. During El Ni\'f1o years, changing circulation patterns result in the Pacific Ocean absorbing less heat and even releasing\'a0some of its stored warmth to the atmosphere. Global temperatures typically get a 0.1-0.2\'b0 boost during such events.\
This year's El Ni\'f1o is currently rated by Australia's\'a0Bureau of Meteorology as a "medium to strong" event, and one that is continuing to strengthen. It may not peak until late this year, according to model projections.\
The impacts of El Ni\'f1os include shifting rainfall patterns. Western Pacific regions, including eastern Australia, typically having drier-than-usual conditions, while nations on the eastern Pacific are hit by flooding and heavy rains.\
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\cf0 www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/heating-up-july-added-to-string-of-record-hot-months-globally-20150814-giznco.html#ixzz3j6dKtz8v}